The Goose Girl
by evelyn star
Summary: She was born Annabeth Gramarye Pallas-Minerva, Crown Princess of Greece. But all is turned upside down when she discovers that the queen had betrothed her to the Prince of Olympus. The journey to Olympus is not rainbows and rose petals either, as she fights for her identity, friends, and the fate of two entire kingdoms. AU, characters from PJO, HOO. based on Shannon Hale's story.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN. Hi everyone! Evelyn here, and, well, it's my first attempt to publish my stories. First fic! ;P_**

**_As stated in the summary, this fic is an AU PJO/HOO fic, heavily based on _****The Goose Girl**_** by Shannon Hale. To those of you who have read **_**T****he Goose Girl**_**, in the beginning, the storyline may seem similar/the same, but later on (possibly **_**much**_** later on) it's going to take a turn of my own. Pairings: Percabeth, and possibly Jasper if I find a way to get them together...**_

_**Ok, so this is kind of a intro chapter...not much action. We all want to rush towards the climax, but there needs to be a start somewhere...  
**__**It might be a bit boring, but the action will come:)**_

**_Constructive criticism, advice, and slight flames welcomed._**

**_I know you guys are probably getting bored (if any of you even reads this thing), so...hope you like the story :)_**

_**Disclaimer: Do not own PJO**__**, HOO, characters**_

* * *

_**Prologue**_

The cries of a newborn baby filled the air, chasing away the worried silence.

When the queen held the tiny baby in her arms, her smile softened her stormy gray eyes, and she hugged the baby to her chest, murmuring to her newborn daughter. The baby looked so beautiful, with a perfect round face and a wisp of soft golden hair. The king stood by the bed, smiling joyously at his wife, his love for his queen clear as day.

The baby had ceased her crying, and was staring at her mother with wide gray eyes, the exact shade of her mother's. The baby murmured, and the queen laughed softly.

"Look, my king," Athena said to her husband, still cuddling her baby. The girl was warmer than anything or anybody Athena had ever felt. "Does she not seem like a wonderful girl? She is already trying to speak. And she has stopped crying so early. Most babies would have kept on howling until they exhaust themselves."

The king smiled lovingly at his wife. "Yes. I am confident that our daughter will be capable of great things." King Tristan II knelt down by the bed, touching his fingers to the baby girl's cheeks. The girl moved her hand and grabbed her father's fingers, her fist seeming tiny compared to her father's large hand. "She will be the greatest queen there ever was."

The maids and physicians all backed away respectfully.

"What shall we name her?" The king wondered.

Queen Athena looked out the window at the sky beyond. Light from the rising sun filtered in. She still looked worn out, but peaceful and absolutely beautiful.

She smiled. "Annabeth."

The king smiled back. "And so she shall be."

Annabeth Gramarye Pallas-Minerva, she was named. She was born the crown princess of Greece, destined for greatness.

* * *

**_Chapter I._**

Annabeth slashed the knife at the straw dummy, grunting with effort. She was only nine, but ever since she saw soldiers training in the rings, having mock fights with each other, she had wanted to know how to fight.

In her hand was a bronze, leaf-shaped knife. It had been given to her as her birthday present just a few days ago, by her friend, son of the Captain of Guards. Well, not the old Captain. She heard from the maids a year ago that the old Captain had been tortured to death, even though she didn't quite understand what "torture" means. The maids had continued gossiping in low voices, saying that they only found out after almost eight years because the man had been careful. He had eliminated almost all traces of evidence, and killed all people involved. But what he hadn't been able to erase was his own memory, as he blurted out his secret himself while drunk. "Quite stupid of him," the younger maid had commented with a snort.

They said that he had tried to kill the king, putting poison in his goblet, but killed the queen instead by accident. Annabeth hadn't understood. Wasn't the queen fine? Queen Aphrodite was just in the gardens having a walk; it was such a nice day after all.

But when she emerged from behind the doors to ask the two maids about it, they had paled and clammed up, saying that they didn't mean anything, that they were only joking around. Annabeth didn't believe them, but she had better things to do other than grill gossip out of nurse maids…

Annabeth scolded herself for letting her mind wander again. It seemed to be her worst problem. Her mind tends to trail off, failing to focus. But she shook her head and attacked the dummy with renewed vigor. As the dummy reduced to small pieces of straw on the dirt, clapping came from behind her.

Annabeth turned around. It was Luke, son of the Captain of Guards, the very person who gave her the celestial bronze knife. He was around fifteen, with sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes. Apart from his good-looking face and well-toned body – Annabeth had heard that also from serving maids, though she must admit herself that she also found Luke extremely good-looking – he was pretty ordinary, considering that most Greeks had light hair and eyes. Annabeth's parents were exceptions, as King Tristan II had dark hair and chocolate eyes, and Queen Aphrodite had eyes whose color changes as often as the weather. Her younger sister, Piper, had inherited both of their parent's unique traits, but Annabeth was still just…normal, with honey blond hair and gray eyes.

"Great job, Annabeth!" Luke praised her. "It seems like you are putting my present to good use."

Annabeth beamed. She had always loved Luke, ever since they met when Annabeth was…three? Four? She couldn't remember, but it didn't really matter anyways. He was his best friend, other than Piper. "Really?"

Luke nodded. "But you do need more practice if you want to defeat…"

"Annabeth." The voice came from the side of the ring. It was Queen Aphrodite, her mother, and she didn't look too pleased.

Luke knelt down and muttered, "Your majesty."

Annabeth went over to her. "Yes, mother?"

Aphrodite's voice contained only displeasure. "What do you think you are doing?"

Annabeth frowned slightly. "I…am training?" She said uncertainly, her answer sounding more like a question than a statement.

The queen lowered her head and looked straight into Annabeth's eyes. "Princesses do not train."

"But, mother –"

"As Crown Princess, you are to lead the country one day. How will the people think of a princess who trains alongside men? They will doubt you. They will doubt your abilities, and they will not trust you." At that moment, Aphrodite's eyes were icy blue.

Annabeth looked crestfallen. Her eyes were threatening to well up with tears. "But, I am not doing anything wrong. I can fight and also be a princess!"

Aphrodite looked down at the girl, her eyes unreadable. She then turned to her maid. "Take her to her room and change her into something…presentable. We do not want our guests this evening to see her in this dirt-covered dress and think that their future queen is a dirty servant."

The maid stalked over and grabbed Annabeth's arm, hard. "Now you be nice, Crown Princess. You do not want to disobey your mother."

Annabeth fought her, but as she struggled, the maid's eyes morphed from gray to light blue, and her hair from white-blond to light brown. She was no longer the queen's maid, but Annabeth's own lady-in-waiting, Drew.

"Stop fighting, Crown Princess. You will break your mother's heart," she chided.

Somehow, the fence of the ring between her, her mother, and Drew had disappeared, and Drew was right in front of her. Aphrodite was walking away, apparently called by a page boy, heading off to more urgent business.

Annabeth turned her head to plead to Luke, but Luke had mysteriously vanished. She turned back around, and found Luke standing beside Drew, his face a foreign, cold mask. Annabeth almost yelped.

He smiled, and it wasn't like any smile she had ever seen before. It was evil, also completely and definitely not Luke. "Be nice and surrender, Princess Annabeth," Luke said. "It will be for the best."

Annabeth's grip on her knife loosened, and it clattered to the ground.

Luke picked it up, and examined the blade.

Annabeth looked on in shock, unable to comprehend the series of events. Some part of her mind prevailed, and she whispered, "No…" Her voice grew stronger, more determined, and she repeated, "No!"

Drew laughed her light, tinkling laugh and put her hand on the handle of the blade. She whispered to Luke, "We will kill her. You shall help me."

Annabeth's heart was pounding in her chest.

Luke nodded, his blue eyes that Annabeth had always found beautiful glazed. "Yes, I will."

And together they drove the blade into Annabeth's heart.

* * *

Annabeth flew out of her bed, eyes wide open and wild. It took a few moments to convince herself that she was dreaming, and another few to convince her concerned maids that she was alright and not sick or otherwise diseased.

In the light of a beautiful morning, the dream seemed childish and silly. The first part of her dream had come straight from memory, the part where Annabeth was practicing with the knife from Luke, the part where the queen had discovered Annabeth's…extracurricular activities and forbid her to train, fight, or do basically anything unladylike again. Though, when the maid morphed into Drew, Annabeth should have realized that it was a dream. But no, she let herself get tricked by her own mind.

Annabeth laughed lightly to herself as she sat back down on her bed. _Really, how could I have even dreamed that Luke and Drew, two of my best friends, will kill me? It is ridiculous, that's what it is._

As the maids came back in to help Annabeth change out of her nightgown, she thought about the day, and her heart filled with excitement. It was her sixteenth birthday, and Annabeth had successfully convinced her father to spend this one with her instead of huddled up in his throne room. Sixteen was the most important age for girls in Greece, as it was when girls became women. It was a special day for them, even though there were no specific ceremonies or anything.

_But on a boy's sixteenth birthday, _Annabeth thought grumpily, _they get a special adulthood ceremony, and they become legal citizens of __Greece__. What do we girls get? We get married off to people we have never met before._

Fortunately, that was not the case for Annabeth, for, being the Crown Princess, even if she did marry in a few years, she would remain the queen of Greece, and would not have to move to her husband's place.

But in the evening, Annabeth would be "presented" to the country, meaning that she would stand on the balcony of the palace, and people would come from all across the country to witness their future queen give a boring speech that was written by someone else. Best birthday ever, is it not?

Annabeth didn't want to live her life like this, but she has no choice. She was born Crown Princess of this country, and she needed to fulfill her duties.

* * *

Annabeth relaxed slightly as she entered the horse stables. It was one place that the queen had allowed her to go to, after tremendous amounts of protests from her father, of course. The king had thought that Annabeth was responsible enough to own a horse of her own. "Besides," the king had said, "How would the people think if their ruler cannot even stay on horseback? How shall she lead the people in battle?" Aphrodite had pursed her lips and countered the argument, saying that being a ruler doesn't entail being able to ride a horse, and that Annabeth should win the hearts of the people by being a lady, as she should be. The king argued adamantly.

It was the first time Annabeth had seen anyone successfully stand up to the queen, and her heart had warmed that day when her father had led her personally into the royal stables on Annabeth's tenth birthday, telling her to choose her horse.

Annabeth didn't choose from the horses already standing and lined up. Her eyes had been drawn to the pretty gray mare lying on the ground, and the damp little horse that was lying beside her. _The chestnut must have just given birth to her foal,_ Annabeth had thought.

_She looked to the little creature, the newborn…_

_"A colt, your majesty," the stable master reported to her father._

_Annabeth studied the practically black colt. The little thing had long legs, and two huge eyes that seemed to glow with life. He struggled, and stood up on its feet, then promptly fell back down on the straw._

_Annabeth gasped, starting forward to help the colt, but her father had held her back. Annabeth looked up into her father's warm chocolate eyes, confused. Her father explained, "You have to let him learn himself. If you help him now, he will never be able to be a good horse."_

_Annabeth understood, and stood back when the colt tried a second time, and a third. She practically whooped with joy when the tiny fellow finally succeeded, and she stretched out her arm._

_"I want that one!" She exclaimed excitedly, pointing._

_The stable master started. "Now Crown Princess, that mare is not for riding…"_

_"No, I mean the little one! The black colt!"_

_The king and the stable master both looked towards the colt, who had trotted over to his mother and was feeding contently. The colt paused and looked at them, flicking his ear, as if he knew that he was the subject of discussion. He trotted over and sniffed Annabeth's outstretched hand. Annabeth noted with fascination that the horse had white markings on his nose and around his eyes._

_The stable master, slightly miffed for reasons beyond Annabeth, protested, "I do not think that a wild colt is suitable for the Crown Princess…"_

_The king interrupted, "It will be all right, Geryon." He turned to Annabeth, his eyes almost sparkling. "If you think that you can handle him," he said with a sweep of his arm, "You can have him."_

_Annabeth beamed._

Annabeth smiled at the memory. The king rarely had free time, so whenever he spent time with his children, Annabeth treated it as something invaluable. That was part of the reason why Annabeth was so ecstatic about the ride today. King Tristan II had finally gave in and agreed to Annabeth's birthday ride proposal. Even though he probably had mounds of work to do, the small, selfish part of Annabeth cheered triumphantly.

_I will just help him later, _Annabeth thought as she walked along the stable halls, nodding to the saluting guards. _I am to become the future queen; more practice cannot do me any bad._

When she saw the gleaming white coat of her horse, she grinned. Pegasus was truly magnificent, his snow-white coat and mane making him seem as regal as a prince. His dark gray coat from when he was just a colt had faded into dappled gray, then pure white, and he had grown to a full seventeen hands, which had aroused many concerned whispers from court officials and such. The future queen, riding a seventeen-hand tall stallion? Of course they wouldn't know or care about the fact that Pegasus was the gentlest horse there had ever existed on this land.

Annabeth knew better than to let those comments get to her head. Even the queen's regular "looks" could never come between Annabeth and her beloved horse – no, Pegasus was more than _just_ a horse. Having cared for Pegasus ever since his birth, Pegasus and Annabeth were inseparable; they were, as some would say, life and death partners.

Annabeth tacked up Pegasus, talking to him all the while, and led him outside, where her father was waiting already with his gelding.

"Ah, Annabeth, here you are." Tristan led his horse over, his eyes twinkling. The two horses snorted and touched noses.

Annabeth smiled in return, and was about to say something when someone called from behind.

"Annabeth!"

She turned around, finding Piper holding a mare of her own and grinning from ear to ear.

"Piper!" Annabeth exclaimed, letting go of Pegasus's halter and rushing over to hug her sister. "I didn't know you were coming! In fact," Annabeth eyed her father, standing innocently behind the two girls with the horses. "I think someone specifically told me that you are not coming along with us."

"Of course!" Piper's kaleidoscope eyes danced with laughter. "Would it still be a surprise if everyone knew?"

The two girls laughed as their father coughed. Pegasus nickered and flicked his ears.

"I think that the horses are eager to go." The king mounted his horse. "Shall we?"

The trio left the rings, heading towards the outer fields and woods. A small group of guards trailed behind.

As they left, Annabeth gazed longingly at the training rings and the two sparring soldiers.

* * *

**Yeah...I couldn't think of any pet that Annabeth owned in the canon, and the other pegasus names in PJO seemed weird in this story (I mean, a horse named Porkpie in a medieval kingdom...it simply won't work), so I just took the name Pegasus! A bit lazy, but, eh, it works... Think of it, Annabeth has a white horse named Pegasus, and Percy's horse is...[SPOILER! well, y'all have probably already guessed anyways XD]**

**As you can realize, the way of speaking of many of these ppl seems a bit stiff, like "and so she shall be", "does she not seem like a wonderful girl", etc. Don't worry, it's not a weird disorder of mine; it's on purpose. **

**EDITED 12.30.2013 - combined prologue and chapter 1**

**Ok, first chapter up! Like? Dislike? Be sure to throw a review this way if you have the time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. Hey! So, so sorry for no updating for the past two weeks…last week was exams week, which basically means chaos, and this week was the oh-exams-are-over-so-why-don't-we-give-our-student s-a-bunch-of-homework week. After this, I'll try to stick to a more stable schedule, like an update per week.**

**This chapter is almost completely a history lesson (sorry to those hoping for action :P).**

**Also, Annabeth will be (deliberately) OOC at times. I believe that nurture has just as much influence as nature on a person's personality, so, with a different upbringing, Annabeth will be slightly different in this story, as will some of the other characters.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own any characters who appear in this chapter ('cept the page boy).**

**On with the story!**

* * *

**_Chapter II._**

A shadowy forest, a black crow, and a spooked horse were all it took to bring down the greatest man in the history of Greece.

Annabeth, Piper, and the group of supposedly well-trained guards simply froze as the horse reared, bucked, and threw his rider off his back. They watched as King Tristan II fell headfirst to the ground with an audible, horrible crunch.

Annabeth jumped off Pegasus and ran over, Piper screamed, and the guards still sat as immobile as the statues in the garden on their mounts. Annabeth knelt down beside her father and the rapidly forming pool of blood. The king's gelding had run off. Annabeth noted detachedly that her father's chocolate eyes, wide open, were flecked with gold, something she had surprisingly never noticed before.

Annabeth touched her father's face, then his twisted neck, desperately trying to feel his pulse. But even before she had touched him, before she had seen the extent of the king's injuries, she had known that her father was dead.

* * *

Annabeth sat in the royal library, buried among stacks of books. She had come here to escape reality, to escape Piper's heartbreaking sobs and her mother's broken gaze and the lack of her father's presence. Really, staring at a bunch of geographical maps is nothing compared to staring at her father's dead body.

It was stupid, the whole thing, that's what it is. The king had survived war, survived an assassin's clumsy attempt, but he died because of a _horse_?

Annabeth felt her eyes well up with tears, and she brushed them away. She couldn't cry, she wan't not allowed to cry, not when the whole thing was her fault. She was the one who begged her father to go riding with her, the one who dragged him into the forest. If not for her, he would still be in his room, or in the hall, signing papers or conferencing with the council, not lying in an ornate coffin with his broken neck.

Annabeth shook her head, trying to chase away the awful pictures. She turned back to the maps, studying vigorously. Greece was, of course, in the middle of the browned parchment paper, with the letters GREECE in fine print at the very center. The larger cities were also labeled, with the cities closest to Athens – the capital – being Mycenae, Thermopylae, and Corinth. To the north of Greece is a basically impassable mountain range, represented by small triangles on the map, but beyond the mountains, there are more countries. To the south is the ocean, which Annabeth had seen on one occasion, and she had loved the mesmerizing blue-green color, loved the way the waves rose and fell, overlapping, crashing down, magnificent and powerful. To the west is the Great Plains, consisting of several smaller countries with unique and hard-to-pronounce names. To the east there is the GreatForest, which acted as the border between Greece and its powerful and closest neighbor, Olympus.

Olympus seemed miniature compared to the sized of Greece. The first thing you notice was that the seaside country wasn't even once-fourth of the size of Greece, but their power was not to be underestimated. Once, during a trail ride two years ago, with Luke as her guard, he explained to Annabeth that Olympus's military was probably twice as powerful as Greece's. Annabeth hadn't understood, and had asked, "But how can a country so small have such a strong army?" The afternoon ride had then turned into a history lesson.

_"__Olympus__ is an old kingdom, possibly even older than __Greece__. The High King and Queen were two commoners named Ouranos and Gaea, who united the people and created the country. That was about a few hundred years ago. They were still a tiny nation then, and I mean truly tiny, only about the size of __Mycenae__. But the successor, their son Kronos, started a…military campaign. Fortunately, __Greece__ wasn't formed yet back then, for Kronos would have destroyed us in the blink of an eye._

_"Kronos marched on to invade the Roman Empire – that was the country north to Olympus – and, well, failed miserably. Kronos had underestimated the Empire, probably, because the Empire was about as weak as Olympus back then, and would have fallen easily, if not for Kronos' overconfidence. So Kronos scampered home, and took the following years to nurse his wounds and develop his army. Years of peace followed, but the __Roman Empire__ collapsed during then, for reasons unknown." A frown. "That was about when __Greece__ was formed. There's a rumor that Greeks were descendants of the Romans. There was…honestly, I'm not sure, but at least a few decades of peace. Then __Olympus__ started becoming…aggressive yet again." A wry smile here. "There was basically war for another decade. Olympus had, indeed, gotten extremely powerful military-wise. We lost a few cities, and barely kept up with their attacks – not that," Luke added with a mischievous smile, "you ever heard that from me. The higher-ups hate reminders of those days."_

_Annabeth noted how, interestingly, Luke's way of speech sometimes sounded more…free. Although most times, Luke sounded almost like a child born into a royal family, he still tended to slip into a more carefree way of talking, especially when speaking to Annabeth. Annabeth sometimes thought that it was almost as if Luke was trying to cover up his real accent. After hearing Luke talk, Annabeth had hated her own way of talking, with the words stiff and overly polite. When alone, she often tried mimicking the older boy's speech, the way words could glide across his tongue. It had resulted in scoldings from her mother for not speaking properly._

_Annabeth goaded Luke on. "What happened later?"_

_Luke had a dry, humorless smile on his face. "Ah. Then came the last king."_

_"Last?"_

_"Of the original bloodline. King Zeus."_

_"How did the bloodline end?"_

_"King Zeus was overthrown, and the whole royal family…" Luke paused. "Slaughtered. They say all in the castle were slain."_

_Annabeth inhaled. "All were slain? So there is no king, no royal family anymore?"_

_"I didn't say that. I'm pretty sure that the leader of the…rebels took the throne. Declared himself king. A lot of fugitives fled __Olympus__, and I think some came to __Greece__." He paused. "You remember the war a few years ago?"_

_Annabeth nodded._

_"King Zeus had declared war on Greece about three decades ago, but he ended it quickly, not wanting any more bloodshed. But the new king…I heard he was very aggressive. He immediately invaded neighbor countries. That's probably why so many people fled __Olympus__. They've been used to peace, and the war scared them. When __Greece__ offered protection, they came willingly."_

_"You sound as if you have been there yourself."_

_Luke glanced at Annabeth. "In some ways I have. I am five years your senior, remember, princess?" The false accent was back, though his tone was still light, teasing Annabeth with her title. "What I am telling you occurred about eight years ago. You were there, too." He grinned. "Although you were still a young child back then, only six years of age. I most likely have a better recollection of what happened in those years than you do."_

_Annabeth scowled, but decided not to retaliate in favor of Luke continuing the story. Annabeth was probably the only one who found history interesting, among the many noble children. Annabeth remembered that the war between Greece and Olympus had stopped about four years ago, when she was ten. But, now that she thought about it, no one had ever told her why._

_"Why did the war stop?"_

_"It stopped…" Luke thought about it. "I think the king died in battle. The people did not want war, so when the tyrant died, the new king ended –"_

_"There is another king?" Annabeth interrupted._

_Luke grinned. "Annabeth. Always so eager to ask questions. Yes, there had to be someone to lead the people."_

_"No, I meant to ask, who is the new king?"_

_Luke frowned. "I don't rightly know. I do not even know the tyrant's name." He smiled at Annabeth. "Why the fascination with that country?"_

_Annabeth shrugged. "You know I love history, and I saw in one of the books a drawing of the palace in __Olympus__." Annabeth's expression became dreamy. "The structure was beautiful. The white marble pillars and walls, the golden…"She trailed off as she heard Luke's chuckle._

_"I should have known that was the true reason." Luke laughed lightly._

_Annabeth glared. "So what if I like architecture?"_

_"Nothing. It is simply," Luke grinned, "that I usually do not associate girls with _buildings_."_

_Annabeth scowled. "I like the beauty of it." Luke opened his mouth to say something, but Annabeth cut him off. "I want to create something that lasts. Like the palaces. Like the temples," she said softly._

The sound of footsteps jerked Annabeth out of her reverie. Annabeth sighed._ Just when she successfully distracted herself._ A page boy, seemingly no older than twelve, stood in front of the mahogany table, cleared his throat, and declared with all the importance a short twelve-year old could muster, "The queen requests your presence, Crown Princess."

Annabeth nodded. "Thank you. You may go."

The boy bowed clumsily, almost losing his balance, and scampered away with a tomato-red face.

Annabeth stood up from the soft, velvet seat she had been curled up in. Ignoring the mountain of books and parchments on the desk, she smoothed out her dress. Her mother liked things neat and pretty. Her father, on the other hand, was more carefree and didn't bother with clothes.

_If only I could create a life that lasts forever,_ Annabeth thought bitterly._ Father would be alive. He wouldn't die._

* * *

**A/N: I know in the books, Luke is six to seven years older than Annabeth. It bothered me, somehow. I mean, in the end of TLO, Luke decides that he actually likes Annabeth, right? And I think he started having feelings for Annabeth as early as Titan's Curse. So that makes Luke twenty or twenty-one when he fell in love with fourteen-year old Annabeth…I dunno, it's a bit weird (and, according to my not-so-credible classmate, illegal in some places). So anyways, I shortened the age gap to five years. Easier for me to manage and more-fitting for my plotline.**

**And, yeah, no dyslexia for Annabeth in this story. She must be so happy! XD**

**p.s. the proximity of the cities I listed to ****Athens**** has no correlation to real life cities of ****Greece**

**I'll try to update next weekend. R&R plz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. New chapter! (readers, "Thank you, captain obvious…")**

**Sorry for the long wait…I recently realized that trying to stick to a weekly schedule is virtually impossible…especially when I have so many project deadlines piling on me…also, my mom was – pardon the language – bitching on about my studies (and my manners...she thinks that a girl my age shouldn't be swearing. I'm not five! And I wasn't even swearing out loud, for god's sake!) again.**

**Anyways, in the last AN, I said that Annabeth will be OOC. This chapter is a good example of that. I plan on letting (or trying to let) Annabeth learn and grow, instead of being a super smart, level-headed brainiac from the beginning.**

* * *

**Chapter III**

Walking down the cold, drafty hallways, Annabeth chose to focus her mind on the paintings on the wall instead of wondering what her mother could want with her. The colorful portraits and depictions hanging on the walls, all of battle scenes and deceased princes and kings shrouded in their golden glory, told the history of Greece in the most vivid way, if somewhat faux and pompous. The portrait on the far end of the hallway, the most recent one, depicted her father sitting in his throne, his eyes hard yet warm at the same time. The painter had done a good job.

_Too good,_ Annabeth thought. She really didn't need to be reminded of him right now. And she had to scamper past the watchful eyes of past kings, probably all cursing her in their own special way. She was even cursing herself. If not for her, the king would still be alive and breathing…

The doors were no better than the hallway. The mahogany doors that lead to the throne room were what to be expected of them: majestic, beautiful, and icy cold. The guards on each side of the door bowed their heads in unison, greeting her. "Crown Princess."

Annabeth nodded in return. "Did mother call me?" Annabeth, of course, knew it was a stupid question, but in order to seem "polite and respectful" as her mother always stressed, it was a required act.

The guard on the left nodded. "Come this way, please, Crown Princess." He opened the door.

Annabeth walked through the door as quietly as possible. It was extremely rude to barge in on the queen, plus, who knew what kind of mood her mother was in right now? Better safe than sorry. Annabeth didn't want to spend another day forced to sit and learn about fashion and proper etiquette.

Queen Aphrodite, sitting behind the king's desk, was looking out the giant window at the cloudless blue sky beyond. Her face was a golden mask, lit up by the afternoon sun, but devoid of any emotion except a trace of wistful sadness. In the golden light, Aphrodite was excruciatingly beautiful, at least to Annabeth. She couldn't help but think of all her flaws: common blond hair with all their split ends, boring gray eyes, average body…Her mother had that effect on people; she made them feel ashamed of their looks without even trying. Aphrodite's beauty was unrivaled in Greece, and Annabeth sometimes, secretly, hoped that she was more like her mother, more like Piper, who inherited the queen's good looks and eyes. It sometimes seemed like Annabeth didn't get anything from her mother's side.

The queen, realizing that Annabeth was there, turned around, her face already smooth and composed, not a trace of her previous sadness lingering. Her eyes had lost their wistful light, and had hardened into her "queen" look, fixed in their brown color.

In some ways, Annabeth's mother was just like the mahogany doors, like everything in the palace – beautiful and cold.

Annabeth knew her mother's coldness was only an act, but she couldn't help but wish that her mother would be more loving. Annabeth still remembered the days when her mother would hug her and clasp her tiny hand in her large ones, and take her on trips to the seaside, to the mountains, to places she had never been to before. In her dreams, she always saw a warm smile, and loving gray eyes. But nowadays, when Aphrodite's eyes turned gray, it usually meant she was angry.

Annabeth missed the days when her mother would smile at her every hour of the day.

But there was no use thinking about that. Aphrodite had already started speaking.

"Annabeth."

"Yes, mother."

She stared at Annabeth for a moment, as if trying to memorize her face. Annabeth involuntarily frowned.

The queen cleared her throat and continued. "Annabeth, you celebrated your sixteenth birthday this week, correct?"

_Celebrated? _Annabeth wanted to laugh. Or cry. Or both. But she only said softly, "Yes, on the day of the…accident."

Aphrodite nodded. "Yes, I know." She sighed. "There is something I feel you need to know. Since you are a young lady now, I expect you to receive this news in the manner as a lady should."

Annabeth frowned again. Usually, Aphrodite would circle around, gently easing her subjects or whoever she was addressing into the matter at hand, whether it was news of the death of Piper's pet dog, or problems and unrest in the cities. But today, she directly approached the subject, in a manner most unlike her. Annabeth shifted nervously.

Aphrodite bit her lower lip, another action that seemed utterly uncharacteristic. Aphrodite was never nervous, always regal, calm and collected even when addressing a mob of weapon-wielding bandits (not that Annabeth had ever seen her mother do that, but she supposed her mother could talk even the most bloodthirsty of mercenaries into lowering their swords).

The silence was unnerving. Annabeth finally broke out, "Mother, what is it?"

Aphrodite raised her head, her eyes changing to a dark shade of blue. Her eyes had lost the uncertainty, her face hard.

"You are betrothed to the Crown Prince of Olympus." When she received no response, she continued on. "The agreement was that the marriage shall proceed when you turn sixteen. In a few weeks, you will embark on the month-long journey to Olympus."

At first, Annabeth thought, _Agreement? She makes a marriage sound so unimportant._ A second later, the full meaning of the words hit her. Annabeth's head spun, and she struggled to process the information calmly. She failed.

"What the hell!?" she cried out.

Aphrodite scowled. "You should always use proper language, Annabeth. You are a future queen, and you need to…"

"Don't give me any of that. You basically just told me I'm not going to be the queen anymore. You do not have the right to lecture me about what the 'Crown Princess' duties and responsibilities are!"

"That is not the way you speak to your mother!" Aphrodite's voice was not loud, but it had a certain quality to it that almost made Annabeth cower in fear. It was unbelievable, how the queen could be nervous one second and towering like a goddess the next. Aphrodite took a breath and calmed down. "Annabeth, I have told you not to use that vulgar way of speaking in front of me anymore."

Realizing that Aphrodite was expecting an answer, Annabeth murmured an apology, not meaning a single word of it, "Yes mother, I did not think, forgive me."

But Aphrodite bought it, and relaxed, continuing, "As for not being queen anymore, you know fully well that is not true. You will still be a queen, the beautiful foreign queen to a powerful ruler."

_It's not the same, _Annabeth thought.

"I truly hope you understand, Annabeth. The arrangement was made five years ago, whilst the Olympus ambassadors came to Greece. They desired peace and believed that, once achieved, it shall last forever, but I know how it is. Peace is temporary…" She took a breath. "Unless something was done.

"I took the ambassador to the side, and we discussed the many choices, the roads we could take. We came to the conclusion that it would be for the best for our countries to bond in marriage. The prince of Olympus was the perfect candidate. Imagine: the prince of Olympus and the princess of Greece. There is no better pairing. Imagine the good you will be doing for your country."

Annabeth exhaled. Her mother's words pounded on her head. _Best for our countries…no better pairing…good for your country…_Somehow, Annabeth was already opening her mouth, ready to say, _yes I will do it; I will marry that foreign prince for my country._ Her thoughts swam in her head, unclear and disorienting. Annabeth shook her head, trying to clear her murky brain.

"Your father was oblivious to the arrangement. He would have protested, would have canceled it immediately, and we cannot have that. We needed closer ties to that country, and I feared…that the people do not trust you enough. I am afraid that the stories of the future queen riding a stallion and fighting amongst men has stained your image. I fear that the people will not trust you."

_Wouldn't the people trust a ruler who will fight alongside them more than one who cowers in her palace? _Bitter thoughts were coursing through Annabeth's mind.

"The crown shall be placed upon Aeneas once I die. Aeneas has grown to be a handsome young man, and shall become a fitting king."

Annabeth looked at her mother incredulously. _Does the queen decide who is better fit to be a ruler based on their looks?_

"Annabeth." Her mother looked at her pleadingly. "Our country requires this. We need you to do this." Aphrodite paused. "I need you to do this, for me."

Annabeth felt like someone was stirring her thoughts with one giant stick. Her murky head couldn't make out anything but one thought...There was only one possible thing to say, anyways.

"Yes, mother. I will do it."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know the apology and the mellow attitude is most unlike canon Annabeth, who would've fought to the end instead of backing down, but remember, this Annabeth lived for sixteen years under the shadow of Aphrodite, always being compared to the queen, always deemed not good enough. And Aphrodite is a charmspeaker. Also, she lived a pampered life in a _palace_, it will be reasonable that she is a bit more – how should I put this…soft.**

**And now, a dose of (somewhat) canon Annabeth…**

**Disclaimer:**

**_Me_****: Ok, Annabeth, want to do the honors?**

**_Annabeth_****: Sure. So, the author does not own any of the PJO and HOO characters who appear or will appear in this story. The author does not own me. In fact, no one could own me. I'm a free human being, not to mention a strong, independent female. And I absolutely _loathe_ the belief that women should be sex vessels that can be owned by their husbands. That is simply sexist, and being sexist is a completely unforgivable crime! Nobody should be possessions. No man, woman, child, no one! *glares at everyone who dares to argue with her***

**_Me_****: Uh, ok, we get it. Nobody's a possession. Being sexist is a grave, unforgivable felony. We get it.**

**_Annabeth_**** *turns her fiery glare on me*: Is that sarcasm I hear?**

**_Me _*****sweating slightly*: Of course not! ****Uh…I gotta go! I have...piano lessons!**

**_Annabeth aka the girl (temporarily) on fire still burning with anger behind me…and that is why updating might be postponed for a few more weeks, due to the third degree burns our favorite blondie caused that had landed me in the hospital._**(In reality, it's because of the week of finals and deadlines I can look forward to that has landed me in a deep, deep pile of textbooks and research…)

**_Annabeth_****: WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?**

**_Me_****: Eep! Gotta go! Review please, and don't be afraid to give advice, like how to steal Annabeth's knife w/out her discovering…AHHHH! *gets dragged away to the Underworld***

**Hope you guys enjoyed that :D **

**_Till winter break! (mid Jan. to Feb.)_**

**Evelyn**


End file.
